Final Fantasy VIII2
by SA17
Summary: Three years equates to many changes. As Squall, Zell, and Selphie trek across the world to apprehend a friend, an even greater menace threatens the unstable peace of the nations.
1. Mission Time!

The music was blaring loudly, the deep, driving bass pulsing in his stomach as he stared at the massive bouncer in front of him.  
  
"So, boy..." the man said in a gruff, menacing voice, "What the hell do you think you're gonna do to me?"  
  
The young man smiled and with a simple motion unsheathed the long, silver gunblade from the collection of belts at his side. Holding the blade at the black hilt with his right hand at the top and his left at the bottom, he allowed his legs to part slightly as he stood in a battle stance. "I think you know what I'll do," the young man said, his brown locks falling amidst his hardened face. The distinguishing scar seemed to burn fiercely as his brow furrowed.  
  
The gruff man didn't budge an inch, instead signaling for two men in the shadows to emerge from their vigils.   
  
The two men that arrived were just as massive, if not larger than the initial guard, standing beside one another with their fists in the air, preparing to fight.  
  
"Fine by me," the young man said and turned his blade to blunt edge and ran toward the trio with a burst of speed, crouching low as he drug his sword across the metallic floor, sparks streaming behind the blade's edge.  
  
One of muscled men tried desperately to hit the man but it was too little, too late as the young man came beside him and drove his left fist into the man's jaw, sending the man falling to the ground almost instantly.   
  
Another guard tried to attack him from behind but was immediately stopped by the blade's blunt edge striking him hard across the stomach, causing him to grip it in pain. The young man then used the hilt of the gunblade and struck the man over the head, causing him to fall unconscious to the ground as well. Standing erect, the young man looked at the guard he had originally dealt with and smirked at the man.   
  
The guard growled and ran toward the door in an attempt to alert others but was stopped by a forceful nunchaku strike to the face. The man stumbled backward and fell back first to the floor not far from his companions.   
  
"You just have to start without us, huh?" a young woman's voice asked as she walked from the doorway, the music from inside following her for only a moment. She placed her nunchaku around her neck as she walked toward the tall man.   
  
"Whatever..." the young man said as he placed his sword back into the collection of belts on his left side that served as a sheath. His tattooed arms and shoulders, broad and muscular, tensed as he handled the blade with care. "Where's Zell?"  
  
"Right here," a young man called from behind. Waving his right hand in the air he ran toward the man and the woman until he stopped in front of them. "I took care of the guards just outside the gates," he reported, "Everything looks clear."  
  
"And all of the stray guards inside are down for the count!" the young woman exclaimed.  
  
The young man nodded, strands of his dark hair going over his forehead. "Then let's go," he said and began to walk but felt a strong hand grab his arm.  
  
"Squall," Zell said as he looked up at the man, "Selphie and I are all for doing this. You're our friend. But...this is Rinoa we're talking about! Don't you think we should, I don't know, think about this some more?"  
  
"What's there to think about?" Squall asked as he ripped his arm from Zell's grasp, "We've been hired to bring her in. And if that means we have to fight her..."  
  
Selphie gasped, looking at Squall then at Zell. "I-it won't come to that...will it?" Selphie asked in a timid voice.  
  
"Only time will tell, Selphie," Squall replied and walked toward the entrance of the building.  
  
Selphie looked at Zell who only sighed and followed suit with Selphie soon following as the three made their way into the neon lights and blaring music of the building.   
  
***  
  
She knew they were coming but she did not want to cause a commotion. She was surrounded by too many that would actually do something to help her and she didn't want to see these people taken down a notch, no matter how honorable it seemed to be.  
  
"Excuse me," Rinoa Heartilly said as she smiled at a muscular young man sitting beside her. The man nodded and stood up as she left the table, watching as she adjusted the black leather jacket with white fur collar across her shoulders. Brushing her dyed black hair from her face, Rinoa looked around carefully, making sure the crowd was not being unduly ruffled. Then, with a calm haste she began to make her way toward the back exit of the club, lightly pushing past the dancing inhabitants of the club.  
  
"Hey!" a young woman cried out and Rinoa stopped and realized that her worst fears had come true. Turning her head, she noticed that a young woman dressed in a tight, yellow T-shirt with highly adorned overalls and blue denim hot pants was pushing past the people, nunchaku wrapped about her neck. Her dark brown hair flew gracefully behind her in two thick pigtails that were on either side of her head above her ears. Her rouge lips and lightly shadowed eyes shifted into worry as she noticed Rinoa standing at the end.  
  
Rinoa, however, began to run again, pushing more forcefully past the people in her way.  
  
"Rinoa, stop!" Selphie exclaimed as she began to run after the young woman in the blue dress. Selphie ran through the already separated crowd that Rinoa had parted.  
  
Squall and Zell emerged into the crowd and looked around, noticing that Rinoa had climbed the stairs toward another exit.  
  
"Guard the back exit," Squall ordered Zell, "I'm gonna go ahead with Selphie."  
  
"Right," Zell nodded and ran for the back as Squall began taking the nearest staircase two steps at a time, heading toward the catwalk where dozens of neon lights and spotlights rested.  
  
"Rinoa!" Selphie called over the crowd's ever rising noise as she landed on the catwalk with a thump and, after gaining her footing, began to run after the young woman.  
  
"You're not going to catch me, dammit!" Rinoa yelled but then she saw Squall ascend the stairs yards in front of her and she stopped in her tracks.   
  
Selphie sighed as she slowed down a few yards away from Rinoa. "Rinoa, please..." Selphie pleaded but she was already removing her nunchaku from her neck, "I really don't want to fight you."  
  
"Don't bother," Squall called to Selphie as he lifted his fists, "She's not gonna listen anyway. She's already attacked dozens of people, what's a couple of more?" Squall gazed darkly at Rinoa as she looked back at him with a determined expression. She was not going to be taken in. Not now.  
  
"Fine," Rinoa said as she pulled off the leather jacket and threw it to the ground, "I was looking forward to a little warm-up anyway." Her beautiful outfit had been exposed to the smoky club atmosphere: a light blue dress worn on top of a white, bell-sleeved shirt made of fine silk. On her back rested two silken angel wings that protruded gracefully amidst her black hair. Raising her hands, Rinoa closed her eyes and mouthed the word "Haste" amidst the booming of the music and suddenly a holy light emitted from her form and enveloped her body.  
  
"Selphie!" Squall called, "She's just enhanced her...!"  
  
"I know! I know!" Selphie cried as she backed up a bit, nunchaku in hand.  
  
Rinoa let her hands go down and instantly turned around and charged for Selphie. Using her fists, she began to spar with Selphie's swings of the nunchaku, easily matching each blow without ever slowing down. Using her right leg, she suddenly kicked Selphie in the left shin, causing the young woman to lose her step and fall forward. Using this moment, Rinoa used her left fist and delivered a powerful left hook to the young woman's jaw, quickly sending her to the surface of the catwalk and into unconsciousness.   
  
Squall scowled as he lifted his fists in preparation. He wanted so much to use his sword on her but he was ordered to capture...not kill. So, with everything he had, Squall rushed toward Rinoa, swinging his fists violently at the woman who used her open hands to knock away each of his blows. After knocking his fists away, Rinoa grabbed the young man by the shirt and with all of her might, slammed her head into Squall's, causing the young man to stagger once she let him go.  
  
Squall held onto the guardrail, trying desperately to regain his composure and vision. It seems that she had strung darkness magic into her head butt.   
  
"Sorry, Squall," Rinoa said as she lifted her hands, "But I'm not ready to be taken in." Closing her eyes once again, Rinoa mouthed the word "Apocalypse-Slow". After the words were uttered, an orb of black light appeared above her head, slowly growing into an ever-increasing array of colors. Opening her eyes again, Rinoa turned and walked toward the coat she had left on the floor of the catwalk, noticing Selphie was still out cold. She picked up the coat and placed it over her left shoulder, lifting her right hand in above her head as the lunar glow engulfed her form.   
  
"Rinoa...!" Squall yelled as he shook his head, desperately attempting to rid himself of the darkness spell.  
  
"If you wanna live," Rinoa said, "I suggest you get a move on, Leonhart." And with that she shot an ice spell from her hand that sped upward into the skylight above her. She looked at Squall with concern but then turned her back on him as she began to float slowly into the air until she floated out of the club.  
  
Squall groped around his pants until he found the pocket he was looking for. Taking out a small, white pill, he crushed it in his fist and threw it over his head. As the white powder fell over his face, a soothing light surrounded his face. Squall opened his eyes and the darkness that once plagued had been rid of. Squall instantly looked up at the skylight and realizing that Rinoa was gone.  
  
"Squall!" Zell called from the other side of the catwalk as he helped Selphie to her feet, "The Apocalypse! Take care of it!"  
  
Squall's eyes widened and he looked up, realizing that Rinoa's Apocalypse was quickly coming back to normal time. The multi-colored orb was already taking up several yards of air space, shining its light down upon the unsuspecting public below.  
  
"Shit..." Squall cursed.  
  
"Squall!" Selphie exclaimed as she was being held in Zell's arms.  
  
"All right!" Squall said and he quickly placed a hand on the hilt of his gunblade. Unsheathing the silver blade, he held it upward and suddenly his body began to glow blue until electrical sparks began to emanate from his form. Taking the hilt of the blade in both hands, Squall jumped high into the air and forcefully drove the blade directly through the metal catwalk and bowed before the gunblade as the sparks overcame his form, turning his body completely white.   
  
"It's working..." Zell said in amazement, "It's really working!"  
  
"Woo-hoo!" Selphie exclaimed as she stood erect.   
  
The electric form began to float in the air and, with arms outstretched, began to grow, the sparks raining down upon the catwalk and even onto the people below. With a roar that overcame even the blaring music, the sparks dispersed to reveal a new person.  
  
"Whoa..." Zell exclaimed, "He looks like Quezacotl!"  
  
"Or someone that's wearing Quezacotl," Selphie replied.  
  
Squall floated in the air, his entire body covered in a garment that resembled the form of the legendary GF Quezacotl. The green sleeves flapped gracefully in the air as Squall turned to face the growing Apocalypse, his face hidden by the green hood. Lifting an arm to the sky, Squall summoned a sudden shower of lighting bolts that encircled the Apocalpyse orb. Using his other arm, he slowly motioned for the running currents to rise, taking the threatening magic along with them. Slowly, the currents and the multi-colored death spell exited the club until suddenly a massive explosion sounded, causing club goers below to scream with fright and duck as falling debris from the ceiling landed to the floor.  
  
Squall groaned and as he let his arms fall from position. As he slowly fell to the catwalk, the green garment he wore slowly dissipated into nothingness. By the time he was kneeling in front of his sword, the garment had disappeared leaving Squall in his original outfit.   
  
Zell and Selphie ran over to where Squall knelt and crouched beside him.  
  
"Are you all right?" Zell asked over the commotion below.  
  
Squall looked up with a grim smile and replied, "Never better."   
  
Selphie smiled and stuck her tongue out at Squall.  
  
But Squall could only sigh as he looked up at the colorful cloud left behind by the Apocalypse and realized that their mission was not yet over. 


	2. Three Years

"So, it vork or no?" the old, Asian man asked eagerly in a thick German accent from the screen, his frame shifting from side to side as he rocked with impatience.  
  
"Not quite," Squall replied as he stood with his arms crossed his chest, "I was barely able to deflect the Apocalypse, let alone apprehend Rinoa. Your invention needs fine tuning, Odine."  
  
"Bah! Complain too much," the little man replied as he jumped in the air, "Ze Guardian Grid vorks perfectly! You mizhandle it!"  
  
"Whatever," Squall said as he turned his back on the screen, "We don't need inventions that are going to crap out on us every time we try to use them."  
  
"Vat!" Odine grumbled, "I have right mind to come zere and hit you hard acroz ze head! Stupid child, you know nozing!"  
  
Selphie ran toward the screen and knelt to it, smiling at the doctor in the screen. "Hi, Dr. Odine!" she exclaimed cheerily as she waved to the man.  
  
"Ah, Zelphie," Odine said with more calm in his voice, "Pleaze tell zat boy zat he should rezpect his elderz. It iz not polite to..."  
  
"Your invention kind of blows, doc," Selphie said suddenly, cutting Odine off completely.  
  
"You vretched girl!" Odine cried.  
  
"But it's true!" Selphie exclaimed, "It left Squall totally tired after he used it. Junctioning GF's may have erased our memory but it never made us want to take a five hour nap!"  
  
"Hmph," Odine replied as he folded his arms over his small torso, "Exhaustion, eh?" The little man paced on and off the screen until finally stopped off-screen and grunted. "I have decided! Come to Esthar and bring me ze invention! I vill fix it," remarked, accentuating the word fix by holding his fingers up as quotes.  
  
"Thanks, doc!" Selphie said and winked at the man.  
  
Odine grumbled and the visual feed was rendered to white static.   
  
Selphie stood erect from the screen and turned to see Squall making his way out of the bridge. "Squall, we're going to Esthar! Is that okay?"  
  
"Sure..." Squall called as he walked toward the entrance to the bridge, the door sliding open, "Maybe Odine will finally get it right," and with that, Squall left the bridge, the door sliding close behind him.  
  
Selphie sighed and placed her arms behind her head, walking toward the pilot's seat where Zell sat, as he flew the airship through the white, billowing clouds. "Guess where we're going?" Selphie asked as she jumped into a seat beside Zell.  
  
"I know already," Zell replied as he looked out at the clouds, "I could hear the argument." The young man flipped a switch, causing a beep to sound and the ship seemed to shift its propulsion in some way.  
  
"But do you know why," Selphie asked coyly.  
  
"Yeah, because..." but Zell looked at Selphie a bit more carefully, his blond locks falling across his eyes. "...Selphie."  
  
"Maybe I can get Sir Laguna and Squall to talk!" Selphie exclaimed, "They've been at each other's throats for a long time. I figure if you and I can take care of the Guardian Grid, Squall can just happen to meet Laguna while we're away!"  
  
"Selphie, that is...the most half-baked plan I have ever heard of," Zell sighed as he shook his head, "Besides, even if Laguna had time to meet with Squall, do you think Squall would really give him the time of day?"  
  
"Zell, it's been two years," Selphie protested, "They've gotta talk eventually! They're family!"  
  
"Family or no," Zell replied as he turned his gaze back toward the billowing clouds, "I can understand where Squall is coming from. I like Laguna a lot, but what he put Squall through was pretty shitty, you know?"  
  
"But still..." Selphie said, "Don't you think he should do it anyway? He's his father..."  
  
"It's up to Squall, Selph," Zell stated with a sort of finality, "Whether or not he wants to do it is not up to you or to me."  
  
Selphie pouted, her arms crossing over her yellow shirt. "Well, I'm Squall's friend, practically family," Selphie said with a sudden sunshine in her voice, "And since that's the case..."  
  
"You're not gonna listen to a word I said, right?" Zell groaned.  
  
"Right!" Selphie said with a fist pumped straight in the air, her left leg kicked upward, and her face beaming with delight.  
  
Zell sighed and could only listen as Selphie ran out of the bridge, humming a happy little tune.  
  
***  
  
Squall looked up from the floor of the elevator as the dual doors opened in front of him. Sighing, he walked out of the elevator and down the long corridor until he reached a room where a couple of Moomba ran behind a bar, purring contently as they juggled shot glasses with care in their massive paws. They noticed the brooding man walking near them and chanted the name that Squall probably despised the most.  
  
"Laguna! Laguna!" they shrieked excitedly.  
  
Squall shook his head, sitting down at the bar and placing his arms on the counter. "Hildo Rum, now," Squall said to one of the Moomba who immediately nodded and ran toward a gathering of bottles and began mixing liquids. The other Moomba continued to chant the name "Laguna" as it used a rag and wiped down the far end of the counter.  
  
"Shut up, already," Squall grumbled as he watched the Moomba slide the shot glass down in front of him.  
  
"You shut up, Squall," a voice answered, startling Squall.  
  
Squall looked up from the glass to find Trader, an unusually tall shumi, walking down the stairs that led to three beds.   
  
"Hey, Trader," Squall replied quietly, "What're you doing?"  
  
"The usual, kiddo," Trader said, "Makin' gil the best way I can." Trader looked over at the Moomba duo that had grown silent after Squall's words, "I see your knack for hurting Moomba feelings is as sharp as ever," Trader observed sarcastically.  
  
"...Sorry," Squall said, "It's just they keep calling me Laguna."  
  
"And you know full well why," Trader replied as he walked behind the bar, his crimson red robes scraping softly with the metallic floor of the area, "That man's blood is also your own."  
  
Squall sighed as he took a quick swig of his rum. "Don't remind me," Squall replied grimly.  
  
Trader looked at Squall with concern as he grabbed a bottle filled with clear liquid. "Something else is bothering you?" the shumi asked as he poured himself a drink.  
  
"Oh, no," Squall answered sarcastically as he took another swig of his drink, "It's just that I've been pursuing my ex around the world for Hyne only knows how long and she keeps escaping. Other than that, my life's fine."  
  
"Well, things could be worse," Trader remarked, "You could still be dating her." With a laugh he brought his glass to his lips.   
  
"I know," Squall answered as he stood up from the seat, "Don't remind me."  
  
***  
  
It had been three years since the Ultimecia Conflict, widely referred to as the Second Sorceress War, ended with the defeat of the sorceress from beyond time. Many people had testified to the fact that, at some point that day, time seemed to slow down as events and motions seemed to blend together until it stopped altogether. Many worried civilians believed it was the coming of the Lunar Cry that would blanket the world in a wave of monsters. Others believed that it was an Esthar weapon intended to dominate all nations. Still others believed that the world was coming to an end and that the these happenings were the fabled "life flashing before your eyes" that so many people claimed had occurred when they were about to die or something to that effect.  
  
Of course, many were relieved when President Laguna Loire of Esthar, a man that no one outside of Esthar even knew existed save for those that knew him personally, announced over a worldwide, radio broadcast, the second of its kind in 17 years, that the events that had taken place and how Garden and SeeD were responsible for the world's safety.   
  
That was three years ago.   
  
Since then, many aspects of what once was normal had changed drastically. With not so much as a notice, Rinoa Heartilly, the world's most powerful sorceress who aided in the defeat of the Sorceress Ultimecia of the future, disappeared one day three months ago after an incident that caused much uproar and had many people calling for her arrest. Shortly thereafter, Squall Leonhart, former leader of Balamb Garden, along with his colleagues Zell Dincht and Selphie Tilmitt whom also aided in the battle against Ultimecia, left on a journey to find and apprehend the fleeing woman.   
  
Word across much of Garden implied that Leonhart and Heartilly had a spat that strained their relationship and with her recent crimes, their relationship was deemed all but totally destroyed. Dincht and Tilmitt, worried about their friend, decided to join not only to apprehend Heartilly, but to also support Leonhart in whatever way possible.  
  
Rumor has it that this trio is considered a vigilante group and thus has no connection to Balamb Garden in any way.  
  
***  
  
"...Anyway, I just wanted to let you know," Selphie said excitedly as she talked into an earpiece, "We're gonna be moseying right into Esthar and I thought you should be there waiting."  
  
"Well, I don't know, Selphie," a man's voice said on the other end, "Does he really want to talk to me?"  
  
"Of course!" Selphie exclaimed as she jumped in the air with excitement, her pigtails jumping with her, "He may not act like it, Sir Laguna, but he really needs your support, especially now."  
  
"Well, I thought that that airship was all that I should have done," Laguna replied more as an afterthought, "I figured if he needed my help he would ask."  
  
"Wow, you really don't know your own son," Selphie said as she leaned against a red metallic wall, "Squall doesn't ask for help even if he really needs it, which is why I'm doing it for him. So will you?"  
  
Laguna was silent for a long time. "Well, since you were able to hack into my private line I guess I have no choice but to say..."  
  
"Yes!!" Selphie exclaimed as she pushed away from the wall and began rocking excitedly in her place, "We'll see you soon!" With a smile, Selphie took the earpiece off of her head and began to run upstairs toward the bridge elevator. "Ooh!" Selphie giggled, "I can't wait to see the look on their faces!"  
  
"What are you so happy about?" Squall asked as he watched Selphie ascend the final few stairs. His tattooed arms were folded across his chest.  
  
Selphie gasped and smiled, placing her gloved hands over her face to keep her bright grin from showing. Her emerald green eyes flashed mischievously as she stared at her friend quietly.  
  
Squall scoffed an annoyed, "Whatever," rolling his eyes. "Come on, Zell said he's found something 'awesome'."   
  
"What?" Selphie asked.  
  
"I don't know," Squall said with a shrug as he lead the way to the elevator, "That's what I want to find out."  
  
Selphie nodded and followed Squall into the elevator, secretly looking up at the young man and smiling with glee.  
  
***  
  
As the elevator door to the bridge opened, Zell turned to face Squall and then Selphie as they emerged from behind the doors. "You're not gonna believe this," Zell exclaimed, "I've just found something really awesome!"  
  
"What is it?" Squall asked as he stopped behind Zell, leaning against the seat.  
  
"Yeah, what?" Selphie asked as she jumped beside Zell into a chair next to him.  
  
"It's a draw point," Zell said, "An actual draw point down in Centra where the Crystal Pillar excavation ruins lay."  
  
"Ooh!" Selphie exclaimed excitedly, "For real? This isn't some kind of fluke, is it?"  
  
"Not likely," Zell replied, "This baby is pretty accurate and it says it's down there...a real, live draw point."  
  
"Draw points are a rarity these days..." Squall mused to himself, his dark brown hair falling over his eyes, "Do you know what type of magic it is?"  
  
"Can't say," Zell said as he typed in a series of keystrokes and a transparent visual feed appeared in front of him, "But whatever it is it's pretty powerful. It might be worth something."  
  
"Field trip?" Selphie asked Squall, her smile even wider than before as she placed her thumbs under either of her brown overall straps.  
  
Squall looked out at the billowing clouds as they parted to reveal the craterous continent of Centra far below. "Sure, why not?" Squall asked as he turned and made his way toward the elevator, "I'm in no hurry to get to Esthar anyway."  
  
"Finally, some action!" Selphie said as she stretched her skinny arms, "I need something to take my mind off of all this boredom!"  
  
"Next stop, Centra!" Zell called as he turned his head toward the clouds and began steering the ship toward the earth.   
  
***  
  
The ship they had been traveling in for the last three months was a sleeker, more versatile model of the original Ragnarok, outfitted with special features that far surpassed the original model tenfold. Granted, it was not yet space worthy, but it was more than capable of outperforming its predecessor while in the skies of the planet. It was known as RK-1476-002, affectionately known as Ragnarok Redux by it creators.   
  
Officially, it was a gift from the Esthar government to Balamb Garden for "Exemplary conduct during a crisis situation," i.e. the Lunar Cry incident that literally terrorized the sheltered Esthar citizens when it occurred. SeeD was there to "pick up the pieces and help Esthar recover from the devastating invasion of monsters." Of course, everyone on the inside knew the real truth: that the ship was more or less an "I'm sorry" attempt from President Loire to his son for all of the...misfortunes that had plagued him. Obviously, this gesture served to only further the gap between father and son, Squall refusing to even set foot on the ship and Laguna virtually MIA after the fact.  
  
However, that was five months before Rinoa became a fugitive. Now, Squall found himself inside the ship that he never thought he would ride. He had always thought that he wouldn't give Laguna the peace of mind in using what was basically a bribe to pacify him. But times change and people change. And as Squall emerged from the platform that had lowered from the bowels of the black airship, resting snugly into the soft soil of the Centra terrain, the young man realized that his view of the world was gradually changing as well.  
  
***  
  
"So, where to?" Selphie asked as she walked beside Zell.  
  
Zell stood clad in a crimson hooded jacket that matched his equally red boots, hanging just past the rear of his black, numerously pocketed jeans. Under this jacket was a dark blue muscle T-shirt that showed off his impressive build and was tucked under a belt adorned with various zippered pouches that carried numerous supplies. As he turned to acknowledge the approaching woman, his long blond hair whipped in the cold wind as his short ponytail, tied with a crimson band, remained tucked securely under his jacket.  
  
"Just up ahead," Zell replied as looked at the young woman, "I'm kinda excited myself!"  
  
"You betcha!" Selphie said as she charged ahead then stopped in front of Zell, "This is just the thing we need after that whole mess back in Dollet. Draw magic here we come!"  
  
Squall walked along the grassy knoll that the Redux had landed upon, following the path on which Zell and Selphie stood. "Let's get going," Squall said, his gunblade softly clinking against the belt buckles that held it.  
  
Selphie and Zell smiled at each other and followed suit as the young man lead the way toward the ruins that lay inside a forested valley. Esthar had neglected to clear out much of their excavation equipment after the Crystal Pillar was discovered and what remained of the site after seventeen years lay in derelict, a far cry from the efficient facility that Squall and the others had remembered from Ellone's visions of the past.  
  
"Jeez, what a dump," Zell remarked as the trio began to walk deeper in the valley, the scenery changing from natural flora and fauna to rusted metal and rickety catwalks, "Esthar sure has no qualms about leaving their trash behind."  
  
"Must've been too much hassle to dismantle it all," Squall mused as they walked under an overpass catwalk, wires once brimming with electrical currents now hung lifelessly in their faded plastic hues of red and green, "They got the big prize so nothing else mattered."  
  
"Say that again?" Zell said as the trio stopped at the edge of a catwalk, a ladder leading down into the depths of the ground. The group looked on at the familiar multicolored crystals, jagged in shape, jutting from the dark bedrock. The crystals looked new as if they had only recently grown from the ground like crops from tilled soil.  
  
"What the...?" Selphie said, "These aren't just remains, are they?"  
  
"No," Squall replied and began to walk toward the ladder and mounted it carefully, "Let's go."  
  
Descending slowly, the trio made their way into what once was a cavern inside the Crystal Pillar. Now, it was a simple cave where light from the afternoon sun streamed into its otherwise darkened surroundings. Fragments of the Crystal Pillar lay strewn across the ground as the main crystals formed a vein that only went deeper into the ground.   
  
"Let's see here..." Zell commented as he whipped out a silver device and began making slow button presses on its luminescent surface. The device beeped and Zell began scanning his eyes over the visual feed that was being processed for him. "The draw point should be due east," Zell replied finally as he looked up from the device.  
  
"Yeah, umm, one problem," Selphie replied as she pointed to a wall, "How're we gonna get there?"  
  
Zell sighed and, placing a hand on Selphie's shoulder, turned her around to face a path that led southwest. "We take an alternate route and make our way to it," Zell explained, "We'll be there in no time."  
  
"Good," Selphie replied, "Cause this place is already creeping me out."  
  
Squall turned away from the wall and began to walk toward the dark corridor, his two companions following behind. For a long time, the trio walked in silence, taking note of the cavernous area in which they were walking, the clinking of their shoes on the rusted catwalk echoing strangely in the almost claustrophobic space.   
  
Selphie yawned and placed her arms behind her head. But something caught her ear and she turned, her head. "Is that...water?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Seems like it," Squall said as they began descending a deteriorated set of stairs, "I ccan hear a waterfall."  
  
"And that's exactly where we should be," Zell said as he looked at the silver device once again, "The scanner senses a large body near the draw point."  
  
As Zell finished his statement, the three people had entered into a room that was seemingly untouched by the ravages of time. The metal conduits that lined the rocky cavern walls were intact and gleaming brilliantly with the reflection of the spring below. The catwalk, lined with various wires, was stable almost as if it was recently built over the shallow pool of clear water.   
  
"There," Squall pointed down into the water which was frothing with the crashing waves of the fall. Bubbles of various colors lifted from the bottom of the spring, suggesting that the draw point was where he spotted it.  
  
"Great!" Selphie exclaimed, "I got this!"  
  
Zell sighed as he tucked away the silver device. "Ten minutes and no monster encounters at all. What a drag," the young man said as he leaned against the guardrail of the catwalk. He watched as Selphie jumped over the railing and onto a bottom rock, leaping from each rock that led closer to the draw point that shared space with the falls.  
  
"We should only be so lucky," Squall replied as he watched Selphie, "I'm really on edge about this place."  
  
"Why? These are just ruins," Zell said, "Nothing but your normal, run-of-the-mill monsters lurking around the corners."  
  
"Well, if these are supposed to be ruins," Squall said as he waved his hand casually around to indicate his reference to the room they were in, "Then there's something going on."  
  
"You worry too much, Squall," Zell said, "This place was probably used to temper metals back in the day. Hyne only knows what type of alloys Esthar uses for construction and what it may have done to this area."  
  
"Hmm..." Squall replied quietly.  
  
***  
  
Selphie grunted as she landed on the final stone, her arms flailing in the air so she would not fall into the water. Sighing, she looked around the falls and almost instantly sensed the draw point, the magic humming quietly in her mind. Unraveling her nunchaku, she held them out in front of her and smiled.  
  
"Come to mama!" Selphie said with glee and with a bit of concentration, she focused long enough for the magic to bond with her subconscious mind. But she stood there...and waited...and waited...and waited.  
  
Finally, opening her eyes, she looked around, not noticing the brief flash of color that always occurred after she drew magic from a prime source. She did not even her the "whoosh" noise that always accompanied a draw. Furthermore, she didn't feel different in the slightest bit.  
  
"Guys!" Selphie called loudly over the falls, "We've got a problem!"  
  
"What is it?" Squall called back, his face already holding an expression of impatience.  
  
"I can't draw it!" Selphie pouted, "I can't draw the magic."  
  
"Dammit..." Squall grumbled, "Odine and his damn inventions. We were much better off junctioning GFs." Sighing, he looked over at Selphie and replied, "Well, get back here. We'll come back later."   
  
Selphie nodded and began to turn her back on the point until she saw a distinct glimmer under the waves of the water where she was concentrating. Turning back around, she cocked her head and looked at the glimmer that disappeared and reappeared with the constant rippling of the waves.   
  
"Selphie!" Squall called, "What are you doing?"  
  
"Hold on a sec!" Selphie called as she crouched down toward the water, placing her nunchaku beside her feet. Yes, there was definitely something down there! She smiled and, determined to get whatever the heck it was, began to reach her arm into the cold spring water.  
  
"Selphie!" Squall called again.  
  
"Hold. On!" Selphie cried as she fished her hand in the water, her tongue protruding from her mouth slightly as she tried reach the object that was underwater.  
  
"Selphie, move it now!" Zell cried.  
  
Selphie groaned and took her arm out of the water. "Guys..." she said impatiently as she turned around, but instead of seeing her two friends on the distant catwalk, she was greeted to the bulky visage of an emerging blue dragon as it trudged through the spring.  
  
"Yeowch!" Selphie said as her eyes widened with fear. Even though the dragon was of only medium size it was still very capable of mauling the young woman to death without much effort. Of course, Selphie knew this, even as she reached carefully for her nunchaku, watching as the dragon watched her pick them up, a thick rope of saliva drooling from its jagged mouth. It almost seemed to lick its scaly lips at the prospect of eating this young woman alive, grunting with heavy breaths as it stood only yards away from her.  
  
"Selphie!" Squall cried as he was unsheathing his shield, "Try to get away! I'm gonna use Thunder Spawn!"  
  
Selphie studied the dragon, watching its stationary form, and realized that there was no escape. As much as she wanted to move she knew she had to remain still unless the dragon would become irritated with her scurrying about. "Uh, Squall? How about I stay her for a little bit?" Selphie asked, "I don't think this dragon's gonna let me go!"  
  
The dragon seemed to agree with a sharp roar that echoed above the crashing falls of the spring. Selphie chuckled lightly, finding the dragon's response to be oddly coincidental.  
  
"Squall, change now!" Zell said, "Do it before..."  
  
"No!" Squall said as he lifted the sword to his head, "I'm not gonna let it end like this, Zell! I can't!"  
  
Selphie looked at Squall, watching as the young man began his ritualistic movements to summon the Thunder Spawn form of Quezacotl onto his person. But she knew that it would be too little, too late. He just took too damn long. She was doomed. She was screwed. She was...  
  
"Wait!" Selphie exclaimed to herself. She could still feel the ethereal emanations of whatever the hell was underwater. Turning her head slowly away from the dragon, she realized that it was only a few feet away from her: a simple drop into water to claim it. She knew it was a long shot, but if she use anything to buy Squall time, maybe there was a chance. Turning her head back toward the dragon, she smiled and blew the grotesque monstrosity a loving kiss, winking as she did. Then taking a big step back, she dropped back first into the spring, her body becoming completely submerged in the water.  
  
Zell and Squall looked over at the commotion, noticing that Selphie was no longer visible. Squall had lost his concentration for a moment until Zell barked at him to get it together and the young man did, his form beginning to glow very slowly. Yet he was still unable to focus, his fear for Selphie's safety overriding his need to summon the powers of Qezacotl.  
  
"Squall, what the hell are you doing?" Zell cried, "Do it, already!"  
  
"I...can't!" Squall yelled angrily.  
  
Suddenly, another deafening roar echoed across the cavern walls, only this roar sounded different, almost a sickly gurgling tinge to it. As they looked over at the dragon they were horrified to find a massive shard of ice lodged in the dragon's torso, dark blood trickling from around the foreign object as the dragon attempted to make its way toward the falls, only to fall face first into the springs, a massive splash of water.  
  
As the mist from the water subsided, Squall could clearly see a visage behind the mist. When it cleared, he gasped.   
  
It was a short woman, scantily clad in white, silken garments that partially covered her breasts and crotch. Her arms, glowing with a remarkably blue hue, were bare save for numerous charms and bracelets that adorned her tiny wrists. Her hair was a mix of dark brown, blond, and blue strand all flowing freely across her face and leading down past her backside. And her face...her face.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Selphie's voice called from the woman's mouth, a hand raised and waving excitedly.  
  
Zell looked at the woman, his eyes widened with confusion. "S-Shiva?" Zell asked.  
  
"Kinda," the woman said as she placed her arms behind her head, much in the manner of Selphie, "Just call me Ice Queen!"  
  
Zell and Squall looked at each other, Squall mouthing the words "Ice Queen?" to his friend that looked back at him with a blank stare.  
  
"Ice Queen" only giggled happily, the nunchaku that was strapped to her hip clinging softly amidst the crashing falls of the spring. 


	3. Guardian or Garment Grid?

"Hey, doc!" Selphie called cheerfully as she walked through the doorway into Odine's lab, juggling a gleaming white crystal orb in her hands. Her brown pigtails flowed wildly behind her as she strode in the lab.  
  
"Vat?" Odine barked as he turned away from his assistant and his face lit up at the sight of the young, voluptuous woman walking gracefully toward him, "Ah...Selphie, you come here to zee me?" he asked with a slight tinge of lechery.   
  
Odine noticed Zell was close behind the woman, his hands in his coat pockets, his eyes glaring menacingly at the doctor. Odine gulped, knowing full well what that expression meant. "Er...you have brought ze Guardian Grid, yes?" Odine asked as he looked up at Selphie.  
  
"Yep!" Selphie said as she handed the short man the grid, "And look what else!" She threw the crystal in the air one more time before catching it with her left hand and sticking it in front of the doctor.  
  
"Oh!" Odine mused, looking first at Selphie's exposed cleavage and then at the crystal in her hand. "Very good! You have found ze NegativeZero! Ver did you find it?"  
  
"In the Excavation Ruins," Zell said as he walked toward Selphie and Odine, making sure the perverted scientist aimed his eyes directly at him, "It was in a spring where we thought a draw point was."  
  
"Yes," Odine said as he frowned at the blond haired man, "Ze Grid Crystal give off magical frequency as draw point but much stronger."  
  
"No wonder we thought it was some type of powerful magic," Selphie said as she handed the crystal to the doctor. "Lucky you gave me my own grid, doc. I would've been dragon food if you hadn't!"  
  
"Dragon?" Odine asked and looked to Zell for an explanation.  
  
"There was a pretty formidable blue dragon in the ruins," Zell replied, "Something we weren't expecting in a place like that."  
  
"Vat? You vant me to answer? Go away!" Odine barked and turned around toward his assistant, "I vill fix ze Guradian Grid but no answer for you!"  
  
"Then how about me?" Selphie asked smiling. She knew the doctor would be turned on once again.  
  
"Vell..." Odine said as he turned slightly, his red and white ruff slightly blocking his upturned grin, "...Ze monster you encounter probably a result of fragment Crystal Pillar left behind. Monsters attraction iz only natural."  
  
"So, occasionally big, giant monsters like that gather around the ruins," Selphie said, "But what about the new crystals?"  
  
Odine turned, a look of interest rather than attraction on his face. "Vat do you mean?"  
  
"Well," Zell began, "We saw a bunch of crystals coming out of the ground, like they were newly produced. Do you know anything about it?"  
  
Odine looked at Zell then placed his left thumb and index finger under his chin, pondering quietly. Finally, with a shrug, he answered, "No idea," and turned around to hand his assistant the Guardian Grid.  
  
Selphie sighed as she looked back at Zell. "Well, that lead's a bust," Selphie said, "So much for finding out what's going on down there."  
  
Zell looked at Selphie, shaking his head. "You sure Odine's telling us the whole truth?"  
  
"Yeah," Selphie said and looked over at the doctor, "As perverted as that man is, he doesn't lie very often to women. I can tell."  
  
Odine felt eyes bearing down on his form and turned to find Selphie smiling at him. The doctor smiled back and waved at the young woman, nearly dropping the crystal orb he held in his hand.   
  
***  
  
"The Guardian Grid works a bit like the Junction system," Odine's assistant explained to the trio in the lab before they left Esthar almost two days ago, "Only instead of using your mind as a point of origin, their powers inhabit these," and the assistant held up a glowing blue orb no greater than an inch around between his right thumb and index finger at the finish of his sentence.  
  
"Ooh!" Selphie said, her eyes instantly lighting up at the sight of the sparkling crystal, "It's so pretty!"  
  
"Doctor Odine has termed the name 'Grid Crystals' for these orbs. The ether samples you provided the doctor proved very useful. This one crystal, known as ThundaStorm, holds a fraction of raw power of the GF Quezacotl and all forms of electric element magic." The assistant handed Squall the crystal orb, a gentle current of electricity passing between his hand and the crystal as he handed it to the young man in front of him.   
  
"This eliminates the current shortage of magic," Squall said as he studied the crystal, noting that it was glowing a bright blue primarily because millions of currents were rushing about inside the core of the object.  
  
"Ze crystal does more zan zat!" Odine chime in from his terminal, "Show zem!"  
  
"Yes, of course," the assistant replied and immediately snatched the crystal from Squall's hand, which surprised Squall a bit. "This is the Guardian Grid," the assistant said as he revealed a small silver tablet pocked with several circular indents that looked to accommodate the crystal, "And when you place a Grid Crystal inside any of the markers..." and as he said this he placed the orb into the top indent, "...the transaction is complete."  
  
"Use magic like normal!" Odine exclaimed, "Like with GFs!"  
  
"Yes, normal magic used is the same manner as before when using the junction system. Just focus on the equipped crystal and you'll get your magic. You may have more of a delay since the magic is not directly linked to your subconscious mind, but only by a few milliseconds at most."  
  
"What about higher level magic?" Zell asked, "We can't go around using just first level spells all the time."  
  
"That's the real convenience," the assistant said, lighting up at the mention of the subject, "As long as you keep the crystals in the grid they'll upgrade with time and continued use eliminating the need for drawing of any sort. These grids actually feed off of the ether byproduct monsters produce when they evaporate after battle, in effect routing the byproduct to all equipped crystals."  
  
"Makes enough sense seeing as how ether is all around us," Squall said, "But Odine said something about using GFs. How's that possible when GFs no longer exist?"  
  
"Ah, yes," the assistant replied, "I highly suggest you take a few steps back."  
  
The trio looked at one another with odd expressions then stepped away from the man by a few yards...and bore witness to a stunning transformation as the assistant changed into a form that resembled Quezacotl.  
  
"Ze Guardian Grid lends ze power of element magic to ze user and also ze power of ze GF itself!" Odine exclaimed as he slowly walked toward his assistant turned thunder deity, "But, however powerful form iz, it iz not ze true Quezacotl, only mimic. Ze garment proves zis."  
  
"What...is it then?" Squall asked, noticing that Selphie and Zell were too awe-struck to even pose any questions.  
  
"Thunder Spawn," the assistant answered in a haughty voice that crackled with the sound of electricity, "Deity of thunder."  
  
"Zere you have it," Odine said, "Not quite ze real Quezacotl, but one with ze power to conquer many monsters. Zunder Spawn iz ze human ideal of Quezacotl, created from science and magic."  
  
Thunder Spawn sighed suddenly and a bolt of electricity sounded, and in a flash the assistant was standing, albeit not as erect, in front of them once more. He was breathing shallowly.  
  
"Are you okay?" Selphie asked with genuine concern.  
  
"I'm fine," the assistant as he stood tall once more, "I just lack the ethereal faculty needed to maintain an entity such as Thunder Spawn efficiently."  
  
"Because you are not an avid User," Squall said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You lack experience with para-magic so you can't sustain the form for longer than a few seconds."  
  
"Correction," the assistant said as he lifted a finger, "I have NO experience with para-magic. I've lived in Esthar my entire life, why would I need it?"  
  
Squall looked confused as did Zell.  
  
"Ooh! Cool!" Selphie exclaimed excitedly, "So anyone can use this thing?"  
  
"Ah, yes!" Odine exclaimed, "Zis girl is a sharp one!"  
  
"I get it," Zell said as he nodded his head, "We need to be careful when using these things or someone might use them against us."  
  
"Yes," the assistant answered with a nod, "And please remember that even para-magic users such as yourselves may be overwhelmed by this technology at first. Granted, it uses the naturally occurring ether that is all around us but when that is depleted, and mind you it goes fast, it starts using your own energy reserve, which is another form of ether to this device. When it's used too much, your body will force the form away and you'll be left stranded without a guardian or magic, for that matter, so be careful."  
  
"Scary..." Selphie said as she bit her lip but then a thought occurred to her and she lit up like a bulb again. "Hey, doc! If you're using the GF samples we gave you to power this thing, then you must have crystals with all of the forms, right?"  
  
Odine smiled and chuckled giddily. "Zat iz ze catch!" he replied excitedly, "Explain!"  
  
"Doctor Odine did create Grid Crystals that correspond to every GF sample that you gave us," the assistant began.  
  
"But?" Zell asked, arms crossing over his chest.  
  
"But he instructed me to, well, transport each of them to certain areas across the world," the assistant answered.  
  
Squall sighed, "Okay, then tell us where they are. We'll go and find them."  
  
"It iz not zat simple!" Odine said as he walked up the people, "He placed zem at random, never to be remembered!"  
  
Squall frowned and looked at the assistant. "Sorry, man," the robed scientist said, "But the doc wanted to be a little sadistic and had me throw them to the wind like nothing at all. Even if I wanted to go with you to find them, I can't remember where they are anymore. I did that almost six months ago."  
  
"Ooh, that sucks!" Selphie exclaimed as she kicked at the floor, "You mean if we want more magic, we're gonna have to go around the world to find these tiny little things?"  
  
"Yes, zat iz ze rule," Odine answered as-a-matter-of-factly, "You vant Odine's help? You pay ze price!"  
  
"You little..." Zell started as he neared toward the man, but was stopped by Squall's outstretched hand. He looked up and saw Squall slowly shaking his head.  
  
"Vat? You vant to go outside? You vant fisticuffs? You cannot handle zis!" Odine gloated, "Ze Grids. Give it to zem!"  
  
The assistant nodded and produced two more Guardian Grids, one yellow and one black, from the pockets of his robes. "Each grid has a particular setting as well that suits your needs," the assistant said as he walked toward Selphie, "Ms. Tilmitt, your grid is molded after a Specialist and is imbued with the power of healing. In time, your grid will grow to include healing and support magic." The assistant handed the yellow grid to Selphie who eagerly took it, smiling with glee as she studied it.  
  
"Mr. Dincht," the assistant said as he turned to Zell, handing the young man the black grid, "Your grid is the Pugilist grid. I suggest you check your temper or you'll hinder the ether gathered by the grid that increases your physical ability. This technology still requires focus."  
  
Zell frowned at the man and snatched the grid from his hand.  
  
"And Mr. Leonhart," the assistant said as he handed the silver grid to Squall, "Yours is the Tactician grid which uses ether to increase your concentration for future summons, and the only one, for now, to have a Grid Crystal equipped."  
  
Squall graciously took the grid from the man.  
  
"If you vant ze hint...too bad!" Odine laughed and walked toward his terminal, "Out of my lab!"  
  
The assistant turned to make sure Odine wasn't watching and then whispered quietly, "If you have the time, I suggest you go to Balamb to find one of the Grid Crystals. Obviously there are over a dozen more, the rest of which I can't remember, but...well, if you were willing to find all of the GFs in the first place then you can do this, too."  
  
"Thanks," Squall replied with a nod and watched as the assistant turned to join Odine at the terminal. Turning to his two companions he stated confidently, "I guess this means we don't have to worry about not having magic any more."  
  
"Great! I can't wait to use it," Selphie exclaimed, running to Zell to look at his grid, "Wow, yours looks cool, Zell!"  
  
"Yeah, I know!" Zell boasted confidently.  
  
Squall made a short smile at his excited friends but he could not help thinking deeper into the assistant's hint on where the next crystal was...  
  
***  
  
"I don't want to go back there," Squall said to himself quietly as he walked along the pristine blue skyway of Esthar City.   
  
The evening sky was a mix of violet and crimson red, a byproduct of the Lunar Cry that occurred three years ago. Even though the rogue monsters had been exterminated from the city, their magical properties had triggered a change in the atmosphere over the entire continent that changed the color of the sky. Many scientists estimated that the sky would not return to normal for at least a century.   
  
To Squall, it was just another interesting to look at amidst the backdrop of an entirely foreign country. Despite the fact that he had been to Esthar multiple times since the conflict, it was still a major shock to see such advancement amongst these xenophobic peoples. The strange and unique architecture that stretched yards into the skies, the long stretches of skyways that twisted and turned throughout the city, and the numerous subdivisions and districts that spread as far as the eye could see. Squall could live in this place, if not for one person...  
  
"Oh!" a voice said beside Squall, startling him to attention. Squall turned his head quickly, and saw the middle-aged man staring at him, his sky blue shirt and distinctive khaki pants instantly registering in the young man's mind. He looked at the face and nearly wanted to punch it silly.  
  
"The hell..." Squall grumbled, "Why are you here?"  
  
President Laguna Loire smirked as he took a hand behind his head and scratched his neck feverishly. His entourage of armored guards, eight in total, were lined on all sides of him, scythes in hand, erect in posture yet ready to strike at a moments notice.  
  
Squall gasped as he soon realized six more guards had emerged quietly beside him on his right. Was I that out of it, Squall thought as he looked around at the suddenly assembled group around he and Laguna.  
  
"They have a knack for sneaking up on people," Laguna said with a slight chuckle. He turned to the closet armored guard, apparently the leader of the entourage and asked quietly, "Could you give us a little time?"   
  
"Yes, sir, Mr. President," the guard said in a gruff voice and with a wave of his arms the group of soldiers began to back off until they were a good five yards away from the duo, although the leading guard remained stationary, simply turning his back on them so they could feel some form of privacy.   
  
"Impressive," Squall said dryly as he looked toward the cityscape once again, "So, what do you want?"   
  
"Well, I..." Laguna said as he placed his arms in front of him, "...I just, um, wanted to talk to you. You know, chew the fat, shoot the breeze, let it all..."  
  
"I get it," Squall sighed and shook his head. Man, this guy's more annoying than I remember, Squall thought.  
  
"Uh, sorry," Laguna said, "It's just that Selphie said..."  
  
"Selphie?" Squall said, whirling around to face the man, "Selphie put you up to this? Oh man..." Squall said as he placed his hands on his hips and chuckled dryly, his lips upturned into a vicious grin, "When I get my hands on that little..."  
  
"Squall, I wouldn't have done this if I didn't think you really needed to talk," Laguna said, "I know that we've been in a weird place lately, but..."  
  
"No," Squall said as he looked up at Laguna, "We've never been anywhere, ever. Stop trying to say we were."  
  
"Sorry! Sorry..." Laguna said, watching as his son's burning eyes flashed him an evil gaze, "You know, I had a pretty difficult childhood myself..."  
  
"Oh, here we go," Squall muttered, yet audibly enough for Laguna to hear, "Another tale from some old person that I have nothing in common with."  
  
"Hey, I'm not so old!" Laguna protested, "And, if you'd listen you'd know that I'm trying to relate to you, man."  
  
"Well, don't," Squall replied as he looked out at the city once again, "I don't need your stories, especially when I don't even care much about anything you have to say. I know too much about you as is."  
  
"Hey, you don't mean that," Laguna said with a bit of hurt as he looked at his son.  
  
"Actually, I do, Laguna," Squall said, not turning to look at the man this time, "Now don't get me wrong, I've come to respect you, I was even starting to like you, but...then you went and gave me that stupid ship..."  
  
"That was a gift to Balamb Garden," Laguna said with a smile, "But I'm glad to see you using it."  
  
"I didn't have much of an option," Squall said angrily but he kept his composure, "I didn't want to use the ship that you try to buy me off with."  
  
"What? No," Laguna said, his smile fading, "You got it all wrong, man! I was only..."  
  
"Save it," Squall said as he turned to face Laguna, "Save your stories for someone who actually has respect for you." Squall turned the opposite direction to leave, but Laguna ran toward the young man and grabbed his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute, Squall...!" Laguna cried, but his hand was instantly swatted away by the young man's strong right arm.  
  
"Don't...!" Squall started, but the young man was stopped silent when he saw several of the guards, including the leader guard, pointing their guns at him.  
  
"Touch him again and you'll die where you stand," the leader said, deadly serious in his threat.  
  
Squall slowly lifted his hands by his head, signaling that he wasn't a threat.  
  
"Please!" Laguna said as he turned to the guards, "He's my son! Put those things down, now!"   
  
"Son or no, Mr. President," another guard said from the back group, "Our duty is to protect you, and we'll kill anyone that tries to harm you."  
  
Laguna sighed as he looked on at the group of guards behind him and then back at his son, the group of guards behind him also holding their guns toward him as well.   
  
"Well," Squall said, "I guess this means I should go."  
  
"Yeah," Laguna said as he looked into his son's eyes, "Come back again sometime, okay? We really need to talk about this."  
  
"Okay, Dad," Squall replied sarcastically as he turned to leave, pushing past the guards as he retreated into the night.  
  
Laguna sighed as he began to think that maybe, just maybe that airship wasn't such a good idea after all. Turning, he looked at the leading guard with no expression on his face.  
  
"Mr. President, I..." the guard started but was stopped by Laguna's shaking head and a smile.  
  
"Don't worry about," Laguna said, "I guess I'll just have to this in my own time."  
  
The guard seemed to smile as well behind his odd red-eyed armored mask as he allowed his president to walk ahead, the entire entourage surrounding them as they made their way back to the Presidential Palace.  
  
***  
  
"It iz fixed!" Odine called from his terminal and gave the three distinctive Guardian Grids to his assistant who, in return, walked toward Zell and Selphie and handed them their grids. "Zer should be no more crying to Odine about ze exhaustion! Grid ezer consumption haz been regulated."  
  
"Great!" Selphie said as she took her grid from the assistant.  
  
"So, uh..." Odine said as he made his way toward Selphie, "Vat vas it like to experience ze power of Shiva? Good, no?"  
  
"Oh, it was so cool!" Selphie beamed, "I felt all of this power running through my body, more than any magic could ever do. But it was strange, I changed into someone that looked like Shiva. What's up with that?"  
  
"Ah, yes," Odine said, "Ze crystals have different effects on ze person. One may wear ze garment while one may actually take on ze form of ze GF. I...designed zem for zat particular purpose?"  
  
"Was there really a need for that?" Zell asked frankly, looking at the doctor as he pocketed the grid.  
  
"Vat? Vat do you mean?" Odine asked quickly and turned his back to go away but before he left he said quietly, "I vould like to zee you as Shiva zometime, Selphie..."  
  
"What?" Selphie asked innocently, walking behind the little man and kneeling beside him, smiling cutely.  
  
"Err! I-it iz nothing!" Odine stammered and ran toward the stairs leading to the higher portions of his lab, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Selphie stood up and giggled lightly, walking back toward Zell.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ms. Tilmitt," the assistant said, "You'll find that many, if not all of your future GF forms are, well...rather scantily clad."  
  
"Oh," Selphie said as she bit her lip, "Well, I guess that's okay."  
  
"Doctor Odine is a brilliant man, but he is also has a penchant for women's bodies," the assistant replied as he placed a hand over his head, shaking it slowly. Looking up, he smiled at the two and said, "Give Mr. Leonhart my regards and come anytime you need any help with the grids."  
  
"Thanks," Zell said and the duo turned and began to leave the lab.   
  
"Well, I wanted change..." Selphie said with a nervous chuckle, "...but maybe not so much now."  
  
"Hey, you've got a great body, Selph," Zell said as the stepped out into the elevator hall and sat down on the stool-shaped seats, "Just try not think too much about it."  
  
"Hey! When you grow breasts you try saying that to me with a straight face!" Selphie said, watching the blue force field form over their heads.  
  
Zell chuckled lightly as the platform made its way toward the first level of the lab.  
  
"Anyway," Selphie began again with more chipper, "I just hope that Laguna and Squall patched things up. I told Sir Laguna where to go. He shouldn't have much of a problem."  
  
"I thought I told you not to interfere," Zell said as he watched the platform begin to descend slowly to the floor below, "If Squall finds out you had anything to do with it..."  
  
"Squall's too deep into his own world and his own problems to notice anything," Selphie said as the platform landed gracefully on the floor and the force field began to dissipate, "If anything, he'll think it was just a coincidence!"  
  
The two people stood up and they saw Squall's form standing inside the doorway, leaning against the left wall. He looked up, stared at Selphie darkly for a long time, eyed Zell, and then returned his dark gaze upon Selphie.  
  
Selphie shivered, rubbing her hands over her arms, her nunchaku jingling quietly on the strap of her belt, "D-did it just get cold in here?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Nah," Zell said as he turned to the young woman and made a knowing smile, "That's just Squall." With a chuckle, Zell left Selphie to marinate in his statement for a moment.  
  
Selphie watched as Zell walked beside Squall and then watched as Squall, with a final look of darkness, turned his back on her and followed the blond man out the door. Selphie gasped, her eyes wide as she placed her hands over her mouth. "Oh no!" she whispered with dread, "He knows!" she began to creep slowly after the two men into the crimson darkness of Esthar, "Ooh, I hope he just kills me this time..." 


End file.
